All We Have 2 F.E.A.R.

Will Project Origin be as frightfully good as the original F.E.A.R.?
5/9/2008 1:38 PM | 1 Comments | Page 1 of 3

William Shakespeare once said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." For their sakes, the guys at Monolith Products are hoping that the Bard was right. After all, they're busy working on a sequel to their frighteningly good first-person shooter F.E.A.R., but because of some legal nonsense, it's being called by another name: Project Origin. Not F.E.A.R. II: Project Origin or Project O.R.I.G.I.N. or even P.R.O.J.E.C.T. O.R.I.G.I.N., either. Though when we spoke to lead game designer John Mulkey about the game -- which Warner Brothers Interactive will be releasing this fall on the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 -- he assured us a F.E.A.R. by any other name will be as sweet.

Crispy Gamer: For starters, how does Project Origin fit in, story-wise, with the original F.E.A.R. and its expansions, Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate?

John Mulkey: Project Origin picks up just prior to the end events of the original game. You and the rest of your Delta team are heading to the penthouse residence of Genevieve Aristide, President of Armacham Technology Corporation, to take her into protective custody in connection to the events unfolding in Auburn, when you're caught up in the explosion that destroyed the containment facility and released Alma at the end of the first game.

Crispy Gamer: Sounds like you're ignoring the events of Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate. How come?

Mulkey: They don't fit into the plans Monolith has for the franchise.

Crispy Gamer: In doing so, did you end up doing anything that contradicted what happened in them?

Mulkey: Well, to be fair, I haven't actually played Perseus Mandate yet, so I don't know what they did with the characters in that add-on, but I suppose that really underlines the idea that the expansions really have nothing to do with the franchise.

Crispy Gamer: Why did you decide to center the game around a different character than the guy from F.E.A.R.? He wanted too much money to do the sequel, didn't he?

Mulkey: Originally we had planned to do a PC sequel that followed the "point man" from the original game, and a console sequel that centered around a new character. The PC sequel went through a number of delays and was eventually shelved in favor of the sequel being developed for the console.

Crispy Gamer: Does being someone different mean you don't have the time-slowing ability you had in F.E.A.R.?

Mulkey: No, you still have the enhanced reflexes similar to those of the "point man" in F.E.A.R.. The reasons for this will be uncovered over the course of the game.

Crispy Gamer: Do any of the characters from the first game, besides Alma, make it back for the sequel?

Mulkey: Aristide makes it back, but most of the characters you deal with are new.

Crispy Gamer: Does this mean Grant Goodeve isn't in Origin?

Mulkey: Harlan Wade makes some posthumous appearances in Project Origin, so you will can look forward to hearing from Grant again.

Crispy Gamer: How has the gameplay evolved for this sequel?

Mulkey: In the sequel, we have taken all the combat behaviors of the artificial intelligence and ramped them up. They have a better understanding of their environment and how to use it against you. We've added more variety in enemy types and their tactics, we've really opened up the environments in which you play, and we've given the player the ability to create cover in the environment.